Neumann U64 #56 (Vintage)

Beautiful condition mic. Comes with original case and cable, Hamptone PSU.


The U64 is a tube version of the classic solid state KM84, both sharing the same gold diaphragm-cardioid capsule, but the U64 uses a tube amplifier with Nuvistor tube. Think of the sweet yet detailed KM84 tone but with a rich sounding tube amplifier on the front end. Great on electric/acoustic guitars and all stringed instruments, tom-toms, overheads, snare, hat, room mics, pianos and more!

These rare mics were made for only a few years in the mid 1960s, strictly targeted at the American market.

The Neumann U 64 miniature condenser microphone differs from the well-known standard range of miniature microphones in the shape of the microphone head. The directional characteristic is cardioid. Special features of this microphone are the independence of the directional characteristic from frequency and a response extended to the high-frequency end. The miniature construction makes it particularly suitable for unobtrusive use in film and television studios.

The microphone is equipped with a newly developed capsule which is a pressure gradient transducer with an acoustical phase shift element. The diaphragm is made of temperature-stable polyester. It is vacuum gold-plated. The frequency response of the microphone extends from 40 cps to 18 kcps. A slight drop at 40 cps compensates for the bass rise at close range typical for all pressure gradient microphones. At the high-frequency end, the response shows a rise of approximately 2 dB. In the development of this new microphone, particular attention was paid to the independence of the directional characteristic from frequency. The frequency response curves for an angle of incidence of ±135° run nearly parallel. The attenuation at 135° is 15 dB in the range from 100 cps to 18 kcps. If, therefore, the sound source moves in a three-quarters circle around the microphone, the level will vary, but the tone quality will remain constant. This would occur if, for instance, an actor changes his position during a recording or if people, during an interview, talk into the microphone from different directions. A further application is in the post-sync studio where changes in the tone quality may occur due to the speaker throwing his voice in a different direction when he is reading than when he is looking at the screen.

The U 64 contains the capsule head and a complete amplifier stage. The output transformer is astatically wound to avoid hum pick-up. The microphone has an internal resistance of 200 ohms, but can be connected for 50 ohms. Microphones that have been connected for 50 ohms before leaving the factory are marked with a red dot beside the serial number. The cardinal direction of the capsule is in line with the axis of the microphone. Consequently, the microphone must be pointed toward the sound source.

The difference between the U 64 and the KM 64 lies in the fact that the U 64 is equipped with a Nuvistor. The Nuvistor is obtainable everywhere, and can be easily replaced as it has a plug-in socket. To avoid overloading the microphone amplifier when recording loud solo instruments at close range, a 10-dB attenuator can be switched in between the capsule and the microphone valve. This enables the highest sound levels that are likely to be met in practice to be recorded without distortion.